1. What is your money mission statement?

2. How will you derive income in the long term without full-time traditional employment? (Check all that apply.)

Market- based investments Rental real estate Part- time work Passive business income Other:

3. What contingencies do you have in place to deal with unexpected financial hardship? (Check all that apply.)

Low safe withdrawal rate (<3.5%) Two to three years of expenses in cash Home you could downsize or sell outright Extra rental properties you could sell Home equity line of credit (HELOC) Funds in Roth IRA Other:

4. How will you ensure you always get good health care? (Check all that apply.)

Buy ACA exchange plan until eligible for Medicare. Work part-time to stay on employer coverage. Receive military health care (Tricare, VA, etc.). Join health care sharing ministry. Practice health care tourism for procedures you can plan. Practice dental tourism. Other:

5. How will you ensure that you stay physically and mentally healthy? (Check all that apply.)

Set physical activity goals. Sign up for events to stay accountable. Sign up for classes or training. Take on more manual labor at home. Cook more meals from scratch. Grow produce at home. Stay on top of scheduling regular physicals and preventive medical care. Commit to learning new skills. Take classes in new subjects or skills periodically. Stay in tune with new technology.

6. What will be your living situation in each chapter of your life? (Fill in. For example: “Stay where I am, move to a smaller home, move to a new location, travel full-time, RV full-time, etc.”)

Accumulation phase: Early retirement phase: Traditional retirement phase: Late in life: Other:

7. What do you want a typical day in early retirement to look like?

8. How will you ensure that you maintain strong social connections? (Check all that apply.)

Focus on making new friends with similar schedules. Make an effort to make younger friends. Make an effort to make older friends. Make more time for family. Sign up for new clubs or community groups. Other:

9. How will you and your partner stay on the same page about both life and money goals? (Check all that apply.)

Start your financial planning by thinking about what you each want out of life. Schedule monthly money dates. Allow both partners some spending autonomy (trust plus allowance or fun money funds as needed). Check in often about life goals. Cultivate shared hobbies. Know before you retire what you’ll do financially in the event you split up or divorce.

10. How will you define yourself without a traditional career?

11. What is your purpose? In what ways do you want to matter to those around you? What do you want your legacy to be?

by Tanja Hester, author of WORK OPTIONAL: Retire Early the Non-Penny-Pinching Way

Before you make the leap to your new, work-optional life, make sure you know the answer to each of these 11 questions: